[YSDC] Into The Deep - User contributions [en]

Lovecraftian Supers

2006-02-10T16:20:45Z

Bubbles17: /* Article Details */

==Article Details==
'''Pages:''' 1

'''Author(s):''' [[Joshua Marquart]], [[Chad Underkoffler]]

'''Appears in:''' [[Pyramid (periodical)|Pyramid Online]]

==Summary==
A comprehensive article on how to use the [[Cthulhu Mythos]] to inspire super-human abilities into any super-powered / super-heroic [[role-playing game]] setting.

Various Mythos concepts with at least a paragraph dedicated to them included:
* Handling Sanity Loss
* Mythos-Inspired Non-Powered (Supernormal or Gadgeteer) Characters
* [[Yithians]]
* Mythos-Inspired [[Psychic]] Characters
* [[Insects from Shaggai]]
* [[The Dreamlands]]
* [[Elder Gods]]
* Mythos-Inspired Spellcaster Characters
* Handling sterotypical Horror Tropes
* [[Ghouls]]
* [[Zombies]]
* Handling Outer Space
* [[Mi-Go]]
* [[Serpent People]]
* [[Shoggoths]]
* [[Colour out of Space]], [[Hound of Tindalos]]
* [[Nyarlothotep]]
* [[Great Old Ones]]
* [[Outer Gods]]
* Artifacts of the Mythos

Also detailed are five Adventure Seeds and a bibliography.

==Links==
* [http://www.sjgames.com/pyramid/ Pyramid Online]

[[Category:CoC:Articles]]

Magazines

2006-02-10T16:20:11Z

Bubbles17: /* Details */

==Details==
Magazines (Gaming and Otherwise) involving the [[Cthulhu Mythos]]

;[[The Black Seal]] : A magazine.
;[[DAGON (Magazine)|DAGON]] : A magazine.
;[[Pyramid (periodical)|Pyramid]] : A magazine.
;[[The Unspeakable Oath]] : A magazine.
;[[Weird Tales]] : A magazine.
;[[The Whisperer]] : A magazine.
;[[Worlds of Cthulhu]] : A magazine.

[[Category:Magazines]]

==STYLE GUIDE==
Cut-n-Paste the following for each Magazine.
Remove irrelevant sections.

<nowiki>
[[Image:name_of_uploaded_image.jpg|thumb|''Name of Magazine'']]
[[Image:name_of_additional_optional_image.jpg|thumb|''Name of Image'']]

==Details==
'''Publisher:''' [[Publisher 1]]

'''Issue Count:''' #

==Summary==
Summarize the guidelines of the magazine.

==Comments / Trivia==
Any factual trivia or comments go here.

==Links==
Link to outside reviews or helpful pages.
*[Link 1]
*[Link 2]

[[Category:Magazines]]
</nowiki>

[[Category:Magazines]]
[[Category:Style Guides]]

L. Sprague de Camp

2006-02-10T16:17:50Z

Bubbles17: /* Works (Nonfiction) */

[[Image:l-sprague-de-camp.jpg|thumb|300px|right|L. Sprague de Camp (centre) with Robert Heinlein and Isaac Asimov]]

'''Lyon Sprague de Camp''', ([[November 27]] [[1907]] – [[November 6]] [[2000]]) was a [[science fiction authors|science fiction]] and [[fantasy authors|fantasy author]] born in [[New York City]]. In a writer career spanning fifty years he wrote over 100 novels, along with notable works of nonfiction, including biographies of other important fantasy authors.

==Life==
Trained as an aeronautical engineer, De Camp received a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the [[California Institute of Technology]] in 1930 and Master of Science degree in Engineering from [[Stevens Institute of Technology]] in 1933.

He married Catherine Crook in 1940, with whom he collaborated on numerous works of fiction and nonfiction beginning in the 1960s.

During [[World War II]], de Camp worked at the [[Philadelphia Naval Yard]] with fellow authors [[Isaac Asimov]] and [[Robert A. Heinlein]]. He rose to the rank of Lieutenant Commander in the Naval Reserve.

He was a member of the all-male literary banqueting club the [[Trap Door Spiders]], which served as the basis of [[Isaac Asimov]]'s fictional group of mystery solvers the [[Black Widowers]]. De Camp himself was the model for the Geoffrey Avalon character.

The de Camps moved to [[Plano, Texas|Plano]], [[Texas]] in [[1989]]. De Camp died there on [[November 6]], [[2000]], seven months after the death of his wife of sixty years, Catherine Crook de Camp. He died on what would have been her birthday, three weeks shy of his own 93rd birthday. His ashes were interred with those of his wife in [[Arlington National Cemetery]].

De Camp's personal library of about 1,200 books was acquired for auction by Half Price Books in 2005. The collection included books inscribed by fellow writers such as [[Isaac Asimov]] and [[Carl Sagan]], as well as de Camp himself.

==Works (Fiction)==
De Camp's first published story was "The Isolinguals" in the [[September]] [[1937]] issue of ''[[Astounding Science Fiction]]''. He went on to write numerous novels, short stories and non-fiction works in his long career.

De Camp was a [[materialism|materialist]] who wrote works examining [[society]], [[history]], [[technology]] and [[myth]]. His science fiction is marked by a concern for linguistics and historical forces. His most highly regarded works in the genre are his time-travel stories, including ''[[Lest Darkness Fall]]'' ([[1939]]), ''The Wheels of If'' ([[1940]]), and ''The Glory That Was'' ([[1960]]). His most extended work was his Viagens Interplanetarias series, set in a future where Brazil is the dominant power, particularly the subseries of planetary romances set on the planet Krishna. De Camp wrote a number of less-known but significant works that explored such topics as [[racism]], which he noted is more accurately described as [[ethnocentrism]]. He pointed out that no scholar comparing the merits of various ethnicities has ever sought to prove that ''his own'' ethnicity was inferior to others.

De Camp was best known for his light fantasy, particularly the "[[Harold Shea (fictional series)|Harold Shea]]" series and "Gavagan's Bar" series, both written in collaboration with his longtime friend [[Fletcher Pratt]]. He was also known for his sword-and-sorcery, a subgenre he was instrumental in reviving through his editorial work on and continuation of [[Robert E. Howard|Robert E. Howard's]] "[[Conan]]" cycle.

De Camp also wrote [[Historical Fiction]], that is, books that were historically accurate as far as the time the events took place, but in which the story itself was false. Most of his work in this genre was set in the era of classical antiquity. One of his most famous historical novels was ''[[The Dragon of Ishtar Gate]]''.

==Works (Nonfiction)==
De Camp enjoyed debunking doubtful history and claims of the supernatural, and to describe how ancient civilizations produced structures and architecture thought by some to be beyond the technologies of their time, such as the pyramids of ancient Egypt]. Works in this area include ''Citadels of Mystery'' and ''The Ancient Engineers''. Among his many other wide-ranging non-fiction works were ''Lost Continents'', ''The Great Monkey Trial'' (about the Scopes Trial), ''The Ragged Edge Of Science'', ''Energy and Power'', ''Heroes of American Invention''. ''The Day Of The Dinosaur'' (which argued, among other things, that evolution took hold after Darwin because of the Victorian interest spurred by recently popularized dinosaur remains, corresponding to legends of dragons), ''The Evolution Of Naval Weapons'' (a American governmental textbook) and ''Teach Your Child To Manage Money''.

The author also wrote biographies of many key fantasy writers, most as short articles, but two as full-length studies of the prominent but personally flawed authors [[Robert E. Howard]] and [[H.P. Lovecraft]]. The latter, the first major independent biography of the now-famous writer, was criticized by some fans of Lovecraft as unflattering and unbalanced. Lovecraft scholar S.T. Joshi characterises this as de Camp's failure to understand his subject and Joshi's own biography is highly critical of de Camp's approach.

==Awards==
L. Sprague de Camp was the guest of honor at the [[1966]] [[Worldcon|World Science Fiction Convention]] and won the [[Nebula Award]] as a Grandmaster ([[1978]]) and the [[Hugo Award]] in [[1997]] for his autobiography, ''Time and Chance''. In [[1976]], he received the [[World Science Fiction Society]]'s [[Gandalf Award|Gandalf Grand Master]] award. In [[1995]], he won the first [[Sidewise Award for Alternate History]] Lifetime Achievement Award.

==Bibliography==

===Science Fiction===

====Series====
=====Viagens Interplanetarias=====
#''[[The Continent Makers and Other Tales of the Viagens]]'' (----)
#''[[Rogue Queen]]'' (1951)
#''[[The Stones of Nomuru]]'' (1988) (with [[Catherine Crook de Camp]])
#''[[The Venom Trees of Sunga]]'' (1992)
======'''Krishna Novels'''======
*#''[[The Queen of Zamba]]'' (1977) [expansion of [[Cosmic Manhunt]] (1954)]
*#''[[The Tower of Zanid]]'' (1958)
*#''[[The Search for Zei]]'' (1962)
*#''[[The Hand of Zei]]'' (1963)
*#''[[The Hostage of Zir]]'' (1977)
*#''[[The Prisoner of Zhamanak]]'' (1982)
*#''[[The Bones of Zora]]'' (1983) (with [[Catherine Crook de Camp]])
*#''[[The Swords of Zinjaban]]'' (1991) (with [[Catherine Crook de Camp]])

====Other Novels====
*''[[Lest Darkness Fall]]'' (1941)
*''[[Divide and Rule]]'' (1948)
*''[[The Stolen Dormouse]]'' (1948)
*''[[Genus Homo (novel)|Genus Homo]]'' (1950) (with [[P. Schuyler Miller]])
*''[[The Glory That Was]]'' (1960)
*''[[The Virgin and the Wheels]]'' (1976)
*''[[The Great Fetish]]'' (1978)

===Fantasy===

====Series====
=====[[Harold Shea (fictional series)|Harold Shea]]=====
#''[[The Incomplete Enchanter]]'' (1941) (with Fletcher Pratt)
#''[[The Castle of Iron]]'' (1941) (with Fletcher Pratt)
#''[[Wall of Serpents]]'' (1953) (with Fletcher Pratt)
#''[[Sir Harold and the Gnome King]]'' (1991)
#''[[The Enchanter Reborn]]'' (1992) (with Christopher Stasheff)
#''[[The Exotic Enchanter]]'' (1995) (with Christopher Stasheff)

=====Novarian Series=====
#''[[The Goblin Tower]]'' (1968)
#''[[The Clocks of Iraz]]'' (1971)
#''[[The Fallible Fiend]]'' (1973)
#''[[The Unbeheaded King]]'' (1983)
#''[[The Reluctant King]]'' (omnibus) (1985)
#''[[The Honorable Barbarian]]'' (1989)

=====Incorporated Knight=====
#''[[The Incorporated Knight]]'' (1987)
#''[[The Pixilated Peeress]]'' (1991)

=====Conan=====
#*1 ''[[Conan]]'' (1967) (with Robert E. Howard and Lin Carter)
#*2 ''[[Conan of Cimmeria]]'' (1969) (with Robert E. Howard and Lin Carter)
#*3 ''[[Conan the Freebooter]]'' (1968) (with Robert E. Howard)
#*4 ''[[Conan the Wanderer]]'' (1968) (with Robert E. Howard and Lin Carter)
#*5 ''[[Conan the Adventurer]]'' (1966) (with Robert E. Howard)
#*6 ''[[Conan the Buccaneer]]'' (1966) (with Lin Carter)
#*7 ''[[Conan the Warrior]]'' (1966) (with Robert E. Howard)
#*8 ''[[Conan the Usurper]]'' (1967) (with Robert E. Howard)
#*10 ''[[Conan the Avenger]]'' (1968) (with Björn Nyberg and Robert E. Howard)
#*11 ''[[Conan of Aquilonia]]'' (1977) (with Lin Carter)
#*12 ''[[Conan of the Isles]]'' (1968) (with Lin Carter)
#*''[[Tales of Conan]]'' (1955) (with Robert E. Howard)
#*''[[Conan the Swordsman]]'' (1978) (with Lin Carter and Björn Nyberg)
#*''[[Conan the Liberator]]'' (1979) (with Lin Carter)
#*''[[Conan and the Spider God]]'' (1980)
#*''[[The Treasure of Tranicos]]'' (1980) (with Robert E. Howard)
#*''[[Conan the Barbarian]]'' (1982) (with Lin Carter)
#*''[[Conan: The Flame Knife]]'' (1986) (with Robert E. Howard)
#*''[[Sagas of Conan]]'' (2004) (with Lin Carter and Björn Nyberg)

====Other Novels====
*''[[Land of Unreason]]'' (1942) (with Fletcher Pratt)
*''[[The Carnelian Cube]]'' (1948) (with Fletcher Pratt)
*''[[The Undesired Princess]]'' (1951)
*''[[Solomon's Stone]]'' (1957)
*''[[The Undesired Princess and the Enchanted Bunny]]'' (1990) (with [[David Drake]])

===Historical Novels===
*''[[An Elephant for Aristotle]]'' (1958)
*''[[The Bronze God of Rhodes]]'' (1960)
*''[[The Dragon of the Ishtar Gate]]'' (1961)
*''[[The Arrows of Hercules]]'' (1965)
*''[[The Golden Wind]]'' (1969)

===Nonfiction===

====Biography====
*''[[Dark Valley Destiny: The Life of Robert E. Howard]]'' (1983)
*''[[Literary Swordsmen & Sorcerers]]'' (1976)
*''[[Lovecraft: A Biography]]'' (1996)
*''[[Time & Chance: An Autobiography]]'' (1996)

====History====
*''[[Ancient Ruins]]'' (1992)
*''[[Citadels of Mystery]]'' (1972)
*''[[Darwin And His Great Discovery]]'' (1972)
*''[[Great Cities Of The Ancient World]]'' (1990)
*''[[Heroes of American Invention]]'' (1993)
*''[[The Ancient Engineers]]'' (1963)
*''[[The Evolution Of Naval Weapons]]'' (1947)
*''[[The Great Monkey Trial]]'' (1968)
*''[[The Heroic Age of American Invention]]'' (1961)

====Science====
*''[[The Day Of The Dinosaur]]'' (1985)
*''[[Elephant]]'' (1964)
*''[[Energy and Power]]'' (1962)
*''[[Engines]]'' (1959)
*''[[Footprints On Sand]]'' (1981)
*''[[Inventions Patents and Their Management]]'' (1959)
*''[[Man And Power]] (1961)
*''[[The Ragged Edge Of Science]] (1988)
*''[[The Story Of Science In America]] (1967)

====Other====
*''[[Lands Beyond]]'' (1952)
*''[[Lost Continents]]'' (1975)
*''[[Rubber Dinosaurs And Wooden Elephants]]'' (1996)
*''[[Science-Fiction Handbook]]'', Revised (1975, 1977)
*''[[Spirits, Stars and Spells the Profits and Perils of Magic]]'' (1966)
*''[[Teach Your Child To Manage Money]]'' (1974)
*''[[The Ape-Man Within]]'' (1995)
*''[[The Fringe Of The Unknown]]'' (1983)
*''[[The Money Tree]]'' (1972)
*''[[Three Thousand Years Of Fantasy And Science Fiction]]'' (1972)
*''[[To Quebec and the Stars]]'' (1976)

==External links==
* [http://www.lspraguedecamp.com/] - the official L. Sprague de Camp website

[[Category:Writers|De Camp, L. Sprague]]
[[Category:Historic Authors|De Camp, L. Sprague]]

Original Wiki source: [http://en.wikipedia.org/ Wikipedia]

L. Sprague de Camp

2006-02-10T16:17:13Z

Bubbles17: /* Works (Nonfiction) */

[[Image:l-sprague-de-camp.jpg|thumb|300px|right|L. Sprague de Camp (centre) with Robert Heinlein and Isaac Asimov]]

'''Lyon Sprague de Camp''', ([[November 27]] [[1907]] – [[November 6]] [[2000]]) was a [[science fiction authors|science fiction]] and [[fantasy authors|fantasy author]] born in [[New York City]]. In a writer career spanning fifty years he wrote over 100 novels, along with notable works of nonfiction, including biographies of other important fantasy authors.

==Life==
Trained as an aeronautical engineer, De Camp received a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the [[California Institute of Technology]] in 1930 and Master of Science degree in Engineering from [[Stevens Institute of Technology]] in 1933.

He married Catherine Crook in 1940, with whom he collaborated on numerous works of fiction and nonfiction beginning in the 1960s.

During [[World War II]], de Camp worked at the [[Philadelphia Naval Yard]] with fellow authors [[Isaac Asimov]] and [[Robert A. Heinlein]]. He rose to the rank of Lieutenant Commander in the Naval Reserve.

He was a member of the all-male literary banqueting club the [[Trap Door Spiders]], which served as the basis of [[Isaac Asimov]]'s fictional group of mystery solvers the [[Black Widowers]]. De Camp himself was the model for the Geoffrey Avalon character.

The de Camps moved to [[Plano, Texas|Plano]], [[Texas]] in [[1989]]. De Camp died there on [[November 6]], [[2000]], seven months after the death of his wife of sixty years, Catherine Crook de Camp. He died on what would have been her birthday, three weeks shy of his own 93rd birthday. His ashes were interred with those of his wife in [[Arlington National Cemetery]].

De Camp's personal library of about 1,200 books was acquired for auction by Half Price Books in 2005. The collection included books inscribed by fellow writers such as [[Isaac Asimov]] and [[Carl Sagan]], as well as de Camp himself.

==Works (Fiction)==
De Camp's first published story was "The Isolinguals" in the [[September]] [[1937]] issue of ''[[Astounding Science Fiction]]''. He went on to write numerous novels, short stories and non-fiction works in his long career.

De Camp was a [[materialism|materialist]] who wrote works examining [[society]], [[history]], [[technology]] and [[myth]]. His science fiction is marked by a concern for linguistics and historical forces. His most highly regarded works in the genre are his time-travel stories, including ''[[Lest Darkness Fall]]'' ([[1939]]), ''The Wheels of If'' ([[1940]]), and ''The Glory That Was'' ([[1960]]). His most extended work was his Viagens Interplanetarias series, set in a future where Brazil is the dominant power, particularly the subseries of planetary romances set on the planet Krishna. De Camp wrote a number of less-known but significant works that explored such topics as [[racism]], which he noted is more accurately described as [[ethnocentrism]]. He pointed out that no scholar comparing the merits of various ethnicities has ever sought to prove that ''his own'' ethnicity was inferior to others.

De Camp was best known for his light fantasy, particularly the "[[Harold Shea (fictional series)|Harold Shea]]" series and "Gavagan's Bar" series, both written in collaboration with his longtime friend [[Fletcher Pratt]]. He was also known for his sword-and-sorcery, a subgenre he was instrumental in reviving through his editorial work on and continuation of [[Robert E. Howard|Robert E. Howard's]] "[[Conan]]" cycle.

De Camp also wrote [[Historical Fiction]], that is, books that were historically accurate as far as the time the events took place, but in which the story itself was false. Most of his work in this genre was set in the era of classical antiquity. One of his most famous historical novels was ''[[The Dragon of Ishtar Gate]]''.

==Works (Nonfiction)==
De Camp enjoyed debunking doubtful history and claims of the supernatural, and to describe how ancient civilizations produced structures and architecture thought by some to be beyond the technologies of their time, such as the pyramids of ancient Egypt]. Works in this area include ''Citadels of Mystery'' and ''The Ancient Engineers''. Among his many other wide-ranging non-fiction works were ''Lost Continents'', ''The Great Monkey Trial'' (about the Scopes Trial), ''The Ragged Edge Of Science'', ''Energy and Power'', ''Heroes of American Invention''. ''The Day Of The Dinosaur'' (which argued, among other things, that evolution took hold after Darwin because of the Victorian interest spurred by recently popularized dinosaur remains, corresponding to legends of dragons), ''The Evolution Of Naval Weapons'' (a American governmental textbook) and ''Teach Your Child To Manage Money''.

The author also wrote biographies of many key fantasy writers, most as short articles, but two as full-length studies of the prominent but personally flawed authors [[Robert E. Howard]] and [[H. P. Lovecraft]]. The latter, the first major independent biography of the now-famous writer, was criticized by some fans of Lovecraft as unflattering and unbalanced. Lovecraft scholar S.T. Joshi characterises this as de Camp's failure to understand his subject and Joshi's own biography is highly critical of de Camp's approach.

==Awards==
L. Sprague de Camp was the guest of honor at the [[1966]] [[Worldcon|World Science Fiction Convention]] and won the [[Nebula Award]] as a Grandmaster ([[1978]]) and the [[Hugo Award]] in [[1997]] for his autobiography, ''Time and Chance''. In [[1976]], he received the [[World Science Fiction Society]]'s [[Gandalf Award|Gandalf Grand Master]] award. In [[1995]], he won the first [[Sidewise Award for Alternate History]] Lifetime Achievement Award.

==Bibliography==

===Science Fiction===

====Series====
=====Viagens Interplanetarias=====
#''[[The Continent Makers and Other Tales of the Viagens]]'' (----)
#''[[Rogue Queen]]'' (1951)
#''[[The Stones of Nomuru]]'' (1988) (with [[Catherine Crook de Camp]])
#''[[The Venom Trees of Sunga]]'' (1992)
======'''Krishna Novels'''======
*#''[[The Queen of Zamba]]'' (1977) [expansion of [[Cosmic Manhunt]] (1954)]
*#''[[The Tower of Zanid]]'' (1958)
*#''[[The Search for Zei]]'' (1962)
*#''[[The Hand of Zei]]'' (1963)
*#''[[The Hostage of Zir]]'' (1977)
*#''[[The Prisoner of Zhamanak]]'' (1982)
*#''[[The Bones of Zora]]'' (1983) (with [[Catherine Crook de Camp]])
*#''[[The Swords of Zinjaban]]'' (1991) (with [[Catherine Crook de Camp]])

====Other Novels====
*''[[Lest Darkness Fall]]'' (1941)
*''[[Divide and Rule]]'' (1948)
*''[[The Stolen Dormouse]]'' (1948)
*''[[Genus Homo (novel)|Genus Homo]]'' (1950) (with [[P. Schuyler Miller]])
*''[[The Glory That Was]]'' (1960)
*''[[The Virgin and the Wheels]]'' (1976)
*''[[The Great Fetish]]'' (1978)

===Fantasy===

====Series====
=====[[Harold Shea (fictional series)|Harold Shea]]=====
#''[[The Incomplete Enchanter]]'' (1941) (with Fletcher Pratt)
#''[[The Castle of Iron]]'' (1941) (with Fletcher Pratt)
#''[[Wall of Serpents]]'' (1953) (with Fletcher Pratt)
#''[[Sir Harold and the Gnome King]]'' (1991)
#''[[The Enchanter Reborn]]'' (1992) (with Christopher Stasheff)
#''[[The Exotic Enchanter]]'' (1995) (with Christopher Stasheff)

=====Novarian Series=====
#''[[The Goblin Tower]]'' (1968)
#''[[The Clocks of Iraz]]'' (1971)
#''[[The Fallible Fiend]]'' (1973)
#''[[The Unbeheaded King]]'' (1983)
#''[[The Reluctant King]]'' (omnibus) (1985)
#''[[The Honorable Barbarian]]'' (1989)

=====Incorporated Knight=====
#''[[The Incorporated Knight]]'' (1987)
#''[[The Pixilated Peeress]]'' (1991)

=====Conan=====
#*1 ''[[Conan]]'' (1967) (with Robert E. Howard and Lin Carter)
#*2 ''[[Conan of Cimmeria]]'' (1969) (with Robert E. Howard and Lin Carter)
#*3 ''[[Conan the Freebooter]]'' (1968) (with Robert E. Howard)
#*4 ''[[Conan the Wanderer]]'' (1968) (with Robert E. Howard and Lin Carter)
#*5 ''[[Conan the Adventurer]]'' (1966) (with Robert E. Howard)
#*6 ''[[Conan the Buccaneer]]'' (1966) (with Lin Carter)
#*7 ''[[Conan the Warrior]]'' (1966) (with Robert E. Howard)
#*8 ''[[Conan the Usurper]]'' (1967) (with Robert E. Howard)
#*10 ''[[Conan the Avenger]]'' (1968) (with Björn Nyberg and Robert E. Howard)
#*11 ''[[Conan of Aquilonia]]'' (1977) (with Lin Carter)
#*12 ''[[Conan of the Isles]]'' (1968) (with Lin Carter)
#*''[[Tales of Conan]]'' (1955) (with Robert E. Howard)
#*''[[Conan the Swordsman]]'' (1978) (with Lin Carter and Björn Nyberg)
#*''[[Conan the Liberator]]'' (1979) (with Lin Carter)
#*''[[Conan and the Spider God]]'' (1980)
#*''[[The Treasure of Tranicos]]'' (1980) (with Robert E. Howard)
#*''[[Conan the Barbarian]]'' (1982) (with Lin Carter)
#*''[[Conan: The Flame Knife]]'' (1986) (with Robert E. Howard)
#*''[[Sagas of Conan]]'' (2004) (with Lin Carter and Björn Nyberg)

====Other Novels====
*''[[Land of Unreason]]'' (1942) (with Fletcher Pratt)
*''[[The Carnelian Cube]]'' (1948) (with Fletcher Pratt)
*''[[The Undesired Princess]]'' (1951)
*''[[Solomon's Stone]]'' (1957)
*''[[The Undesired Princess and the Enchanted Bunny]]'' (1990) (with [[David Drake]])

===Historical Novels===
*''[[An Elephant for Aristotle]]'' (1958)
*''[[The Bronze God of Rhodes]]'' (1960)
*''[[The Dragon of the Ishtar Gate]]'' (1961)
*''[[The Arrows of Hercules]]'' (1965)
*''[[The Golden Wind]]'' (1969)

===Nonfiction===

====Biography====
*''[[Dark Valley Destiny: The Life of Robert E. Howard]]'' (1983)
*''[[Literary Swordsmen & Sorcerers]]'' (1976)
*''[[Lovecraft: A Biography]]'' (1996)
*''[[Time & Chance: An Autobiography]]'' (1996)

====History====
*''[[Ancient Ruins]]'' (1992)
*''[[Citadels of Mystery]]'' (1972)
*''[[Darwin And His Great Discovery]]'' (1972)
*''[[Great Cities Of The Ancient World]]'' (1990)
*''[[Heroes of American Invention]]'' (1993)
*''[[The Ancient Engineers]]'' (1963)
*''[[The Evolution Of Naval Weapons]]'' (1947)
*''[[The Great Monkey Trial]]'' (1968)
*''[[The Heroic Age of American Invention]]'' (1961)

====Science====
*''[[The Day Of The Dinosaur]]'' (1985)
*''[[Elephant]]'' (1964)
*''[[Energy and Power]]'' (1962)
*''[[Engines]]'' (1959)
*''[[Footprints On Sand]]'' (1981)
*''[[Inventions Patents and Their Management]]'' (1959)
*''[[Man And Power]] (1961)
*''[[The Ragged Edge Of Science]] (1988)
*''[[The Story Of Science In America]] (1967)

====Other====
*''[[Lands Beyond]]'' (1952)
*''[[Lost Continents]]'' (1975)
*''[[Rubber Dinosaurs And Wooden Elephants]]'' (1996)
*''[[Science-Fiction Handbook]]'', Revised (1975, 1977)
*''[[Spirits, Stars and Spells the Profits and Perils of Magic]]'' (1966)
*''[[Teach Your Child To Manage Money]]'' (1974)
*''[[The Ape-Man Within]]'' (1995)
*''[[The Fringe Of The Unknown]]'' (1983)
*''[[The Money Tree]]'' (1972)
*''[[Three Thousand Years Of Fantasy And Science Fiction]]'' (1972)
*''[[To Quebec and the Stars]]'' (1976)

==External links==
* [http://www.lspraguedecamp.com/] - the official L. Sprague de Camp website

[[Category:Writers|De Camp, L. Sprague]]
[[Category:Historic Authors|De Camp, L. Sprague]]

Original Wiki source: [http://en.wikipedia.org/ Wikipedia]

Pyramid (periodical)

2006-02-10T16:13:20Z

Bubbles17: Pyramid moved to Pyramid (periodical)

* [http://www.sjgames.com/pyramid/ Pyramid Online]

[[Category:Magazines]]

Pyramid

2006-02-10T16:13:20Z

Bubbles17: Pyramid moved to Pyramid (periodical)

#redirect [[Pyramid (periodical)]]

The Call of Cthulhu (Fiction)

2006-02-08T10:42:14Z

Bubbles17: /* External links */

"'''The Call of Cthulhu'''" is one of [[H. P. Lovecraft]]'s best known short stories. It is the only story penned by Lovecraft in which [[Cthulhu]] himself makes a major appearance as a central part of the narrative. It is a story composed of two major narratives linked by a third, the voice of the "author." Only the author pieces together the whole truth and significance of the information he has in his possession, and he recounts it to the audience in the way that he discovered it.

{{spoiler|

Set around 1925, it begins with Francis Wayland Thurston's account of the death his great-uncle, Professor Angell, a prominent professor at Brown University and a study of his papers. These papers include the account of a raid on a supposed cult. In this tale, "sensitive individuals" around the world are afflicted by horrid nightmares. Forbidden lore tells that the nightmares are the telepathically transmitted dreams of Great Cthulhu, an extra-dimensional creature who "cannot live" because "the stars are not right". Driven insane, they perform despicable, unholy rites and chant Cthulhu Fhtagn - "Cthulhu Dreams!" A study of the cultists brings to light clues about the hideous creature that they worship, Cthulhu.
The Cthulhu creature, said to have come with his alien followers from the stars millions of years before the dawn of Man, now rests in a death-like sleep in their sunken city of R'lyeh.

The second part of the story continues with the log of Gustaf Johansen, second mate on the schooner ''Emma'', which engages a cultist-manned yacht, the ''Alert.'' The battle leaves the ''Emma'' derelict, and the survivors move to the ''Alert'' after killing all the cultists. The crew discovers the sunken city, now risen to the surface of the Pacific Ocean. The city has resurfaced because "the stars are right" and the time for the awakening of Cthulhu and his spawn is at hand. Cthulhu emerges from his tomb and almost all of the crewmen are slain. But the stars are not quite right, after all, and Cthulhu and R'lyeh return to the deep after the second mate makes a harrowing escape. The story concludes with the death of the second mate under mysterious circumstances, and the author's fear that he, too, will perish by the hands of the Cthulhu cultists.

}}

==Legacy==

This story was instrumental in launching the so-called [[Cthulhu mythos|Cthulhu Mythos]], stories and novels based on the idea of the other-worldly creatures who wish to re-inhabit [[Earth]]. Many of these stories are written by other authors — most of the early ones friends or acquaintances of Lovecraft's.

''[[Call of Cthulhu (role-playing game)|Call of Cthulhu]]'' is the title of a popular [[role-playing game]] based on the Cthulhu Mythos.

There are many musical references to Cthulhu and the Mythos, especially in the genres of [[Heavy Metal (music)|Heavy Metal]], [[Gothic Rock]] and [[Folk music]]:
*[[The Vision Bleak]]: "Kutulu!" from Carpathia
*[[Metallica]]: "[[The Call of Ktulu]]" from ''[[Ride The Lightning]]''
*[[Metallica]]: "The Thing That Should Not Be" from ''[[Master of Puppets]]''
*[[Fields of the Nephilim]]: multiple references on self-titled album
*[[Samael (band)|Samael]]: "The Rite of Cthulhu" from ''[[Worship Him]]''
*[[Cradle of Filth]]: "Cthulhu Dawn" from "Midian", and other references throughout their work
*[[Mercyful Fate]]: "The Mad Arab" from ''Time'' and "Kutulu [The Mad Arab, part 2]" from ''Into the Unknown''
*[[Tom Smith (filker)|Tom Smith]]: "Cthulhu Child Care" [http://www.tomsmithonline.com/software/TheThingInTheCrib.mp3]
*[[The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets]]: multiple references
*[[Rudimentary Peni]]: the album "Cacophony" is dedicated to the Cthulhu and H.P. Lovecraft
*[[Cthulhu]]: MacHall Comic reference by Matt Boyd & Ian McConville
*[[Iron Maiden]]: front of their album "Live after Death"

==See also==
*[[Call of Cthulhu (card game)]]
*[[Call of Cthulhu (role-playing game)]]
*''[[Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth]]''

==External links==
*[http://www.dagonbytes.com/thelibrary/lovecraft/thecallofcthulhu.htm Online copy of the story]
*[http://lovecraft.cjb.net The Ultimate Cthulhu Mythos Book List] - Listing of all mythos novels, anthologies, collections, comic books, and more.
*[http://www.cthulhulives.org/CoC/trailer.html The '''Cthulhu Lives''' movie of Call of Cthulhu]

[[Category:Fiction|Call of Cthulhu, The]]

Original Wiki source: [http://en.wikipedia.org/ Wikipedia]

The Call of Cthulhu (Fiction)

2006-02-08T10:40:47Z

Bubbles17:

"'''The Call of Cthulhu'''" is one of [[H. P. Lovecraft]]'s best known short stories. It is the only story penned by Lovecraft in which [[Cthulhu]] himself makes a major appearance as a central part of the narrative. It is a story composed of two major narratives linked by a third, the voice of the "author." Only the author pieces together the whole truth and significance of the information he has in his possession, and he recounts it to the audience in the way that he discovered it.

{{spoiler|

Set around 1925, it begins with Francis Wayland Thurston's account of the death his great-uncle, Professor Angell, a prominent professor at Brown University and a study of his papers. These papers include the account of a raid on a supposed cult. In this tale, "sensitive individuals" around the world are afflicted by horrid nightmares. Forbidden lore tells that the nightmares are the telepathically transmitted dreams of Great Cthulhu, an extra-dimensional creature who "cannot live" because "the stars are not right". Driven insane, they perform despicable, unholy rites and chant Cthulhu Fhtagn - "Cthulhu Dreams!" A study of the cultists brings to light clues about the hideous creature that they worship, Cthulhu.
The Cthulhu creature, said to have come with his alien followers from the stars millions of years before the dawn of Man, now rests in a death-like sleep in their sunken city of R'lyeh.

The second part of the story continues with the log of Gustaf Johansen, second mate on the schooner ''Emma'', which engages a cultist-manned yacht, the ''Alert.'' The battle leaves the ''Emma'' derelict, and the survivors move to the ''Alert'' after killing all the cultists. The crew discovers the sunken city, now risen to the surface of the Pacific Ocean. The city has resurfaced because "the stars are right" and the time for the awakening of Cthulhu and his spawn is at hand. Cthulhu emerges from his tomb and almost all of the crewmen are slain. But the stars are not quite right, after all, and Cthulhu and R'lyeh return to the deep after the second mate makes a harrowing escape. The story concludes with the death of the second mate under mysterious circumstances, and the author's fear that he, too, will perish by the hands of the Cthulhu cultists.

}}

==Legacy==

This story was instrumental in launching the so-called [[Cthulhu mythos|Cthulhu Mythos]], stories and novels based on the idea of the other-worldly creatures who wish to re-inhabit [[Earth]]. Many of these stories are written by other authors — most of the early ones friends or acquaintances of Lovecraft's.

''[[Call of Cthulhu (role-playing game)|Call of Cthulhu]]'' is the title of a popular [[role-playing game]] based on the Cthulhu Mythos.

There are many musical references to Cthulhu and the Mythos, especially in the genres of [[Heavy Metal (music)|Heavy Metal]], [[Gothic Rock]] and [[Folk music]]:
*[[The Vision Bleak]]: "Kutulu!" from Carpathia
*[[Metallica]]: "[[The Call of Ktulu]]" from ''[[Ride The Lightning]]''
*[[Metallica]]: "The Thing That Should Not Be" from ''[[Master of Puppets]]''
*[[Fields of the Nephilim]]: multiple references on self-titled album
*[[Samael (band)|Samael]]: "The Rite of Cthulhu" from ''[[Worship Him]]''
*[[Cradle of Filth]]: "Cthulhu Dawn" from "Midian", and other references throughout their work
*[[Mercyful Fate]]: "The Mad Arab" from ''Time'' and "Kutulu [The Mad Arab, part 2]" from ''Into the Unknown''
*[[Tom Smith (filker)|Tom Smith]]: "Cthulhu Child Care" [http://www.tomsmithonline.com/software/TheThingInTheCrib.mp3]
*[[The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets]]: multiple references
*[[Rudimentary Peni]]: the album "Cacophony" is dedicated to the Cthulhu and H.P. Lovecraft
*[[Cthulhu]]: MacHall Comic reference by Matt Boyd & Ian McConville
*[[Iron Maiden]]: front of their album "Live after Death"

==See also==
*[[Call of Cthulhu (card game)]]
*[[Call of Cthulhu (role-playing game)]]
*''[[Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth]]''

==External links==
{{wikisource}}
*[http://www.dagonbytes.com/thelibrary/lovecraft/thecallofcthulhu.htm Online copy of the story]
*[http://lovecraft.cjb.net The Ultimate Cthulhu Mythos Book List] - Listing of all mythos novels, anthologies, collections, comic books, and more.
*[http://www.cthulhulives.org/CoC/trailer.html The '''Cthulhu Lives''' movie of Call of Cthulhu]

[[Category:Fiction|Call of Cthulhu, The]]

[[de:Call of Cthulhu]]
[[es:La llamada de Cthulhu]]
[[fr:L'Appel de Cthulhu]]
[[ia:Call of Cthulhu]]
[[pl:Zew Cthulhu]]
[[pt:The Call of Cthulhu]]
[[zh:克蘇魯的呼喚]]

Original Wiki source: [http://en.wikipedia.org/ Wikipedia]

Template Ideas

2006-02-08T10:39:41Z

Bubbles17: /* Spoiler Template */

==Style Guides==

===Scenarios===

I snagged the concept here and took it a little further with formatting. See [[CoC:Scenarios]]

===Supplements===
See [[CoC:Supplements]]

==Spoiler Template==

A spoiler template exists. All you have to do is put '''<nowiki>{{spoiler|</nowiki>''your text here''<nowiki>}}</nowiki>''' into your text. {{spoiler|And it looks just like this!}}

The above is ok, but it doesn't work if there are links - the wiki will not allow one to insert items into the CSS tags. Approved "official wikipedia" spoiler tags styles are here, but I do prefer the highlight. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Spoiler_warning --[[User:Squashua|Squashua]] 16:48, 2 February 2006 (EST)

*It also is ''very'' difficult to read on an LCD monitor as the white, selected text and grey background are just about the same. Perhaps it works better if the grey is darker or even black. [[User:Bubbles17|Bubbles17]] 05:40, 4 February 2006 (EST)
**I just saw the spoiler at [[The Call of Cthulhu (Fiction)]] article. I absolutely cannot read this unless I copy and paste into a word processor and chance the text colour. A lot of bother frankly. [[User:Bubbles17|Bubbles17]] 05:46, 4 February 2006 (EST)
***Changed it to black-on-black. If this still causes a problem, I recommend we go to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Spoiler_warning standard Wikipedia Style] as putting spoilers on a second page damages flow/readability/maintainability worse than highlighting would. --[[User:Squashua|Squashua]] 09:31, 4 February 2006 (EST)
**That works fine. The only problem I can foresee is that it cannot be printed, but of course one could copy and paste and then print. I don't image that will be a problem. [[User:Bubbles17|Bubbles17]] 05:39, 8 February 2006 (EST)

[[Category:Wiki]]

Averoigne

2006-02-07T17:40:21Z

Bubbles17:

'''Averoigne''' is a fictional counterpart of a historical ''région'' in France, detailed in a series of short stories by the American writer [[Clark Ashton Smith]]. The real province Smith based it on is [[Auvergne (province)|Auvergne]].

== History ==

In ancient times, Averoigne was settled by the fictional Gallic tribe called the Averones. They established a number of settlements in the region, many of which were fortified when the Roman Empire absorbed the region. When Christianity spread through the Empire, many churchs and monasteries were established among the ruins of Druidic temples. Greatest among these was a great cathedral constructed in Vyones, completed in 1138.

== Geography ==

Averoigne is located in the southern half of France. The northern half of the territory is dominated by the walled city of Vyones, site of an impressive cathedral. In the southern half is located the town of Ximes; the main road of Averoigne runs between Ximes and Vyones, straight through the thick, dark forest that blankets the province. A river called Isoile flows from the mountains in the northern part of the province to feed into a swamp in the south.

Other towns and villages located in Averoigne include: Moulins, Les Hiboux, La Frenâie, Touraine, Sainte Zenobie, and Périgon. In the forest can be found haunted ruins, such as the Château of Fausseflammes and the stronghold of Ylourgne.

== Bibliography ==

The following stories are based in this region:

*[http://www.eldritchdark.com/wri/short/endofthestory.html "The End of the Story"], by Clark Ashton Smith (''[[Weird Tales]]'', Popular Fiction Publishing Co., May 1930)
*[http://www.eldritchdark.com/wri/short/rendezvous_in_averoigne.html "A Rendezvous in Averoigne"], by Clark Ashton Smith (''[[Weird Tales]]'', Popular Fiction Publishing Co., April/May 1931)
*[http://www.eldritchdark.com/wri/short/maker_of_gargoyles.html "The Maker of Gargoyles"] [http://www.eldritchdark.com/wri/short/maker_carver_of_gargoyles.html (synopsis)], by Clark Ashton Smith (''[[Weird Tales]]'', Popular Fiction Publishing Co., August 1932)
*[http://www.eldritchdark.com/wri/short/colossusofylourgne.html "The Colossus of Ylourgne"], by Clark Ashton Smith (''[[Weird Tales]]'', Popular Fiction Publishing Co., June 1933)
*[http://www.eldritchdark.com/wri/short/holinessofazedarac.html "The Holiness of Azédarac"], by Clark Ashton Smith (''[[Weird Tales]]'', Popular Fiction Publishing Co., November 1933)
*[http://www.eldritchdark.com/wri/short/beast_of_averoigne_v1.html "The Beast of Averoigne"] [http://www.eldritchdark.com/wri/short/beastofaveroigne.html (originally published version)], by Clark Ashton Smith (''[[Weird Tales]]'', Popular Fiction Publishing Co., May 1933)
*[http://www.eldritchdark.com/wri/short/the_mandrakes.html "The Mandrakes"], by Clark Ashton Smith (''[[Weird Tales]]'', Popular Fiction Publishing Co., February 1933)
*[http://www.eldritchdark.com/wri/short/disintermentofvenus.html "The Disinterment of Venus"] [http://www.eldritchdark.com/wri/short/disinterment_of_venus.html (synopsis)], by Clark Ashton Smith (''[[Weird Tales]]'', Popular Fiction Publishing Co., July 1934)
*[http://www.eldritchdark.com/wri/short/mother_of_toads.html "Mother of Toads"] [http://www.eldritchdark.com/wri/short/mother_of_toads_ed.html (originally published version)], by Clark Ashton Smith (''[[Weird Tales]]'', Popular Fiction Publishing Co., July 1934)
*[http://www.eldritchdark.com/wri/short/enchantressofsylaire.html "The Enchantress of Sylaire"], by Clark Ashton Smith (''[[Weird Tales]]'', Weird Tales, July 1941)
*[http://www.eldritchdark.com/wri/short/the_satyr.html "The Satyr"] [http://www.eldritchdark.com/wri/non-fict/other/varient_conclusion_to_the_satyr.html (alternate ending)], by Clark Ashton Smith (''Genius Loci'', [[Arkham House]], 1948) - Originally written in 1931.
*[http://www.eldritchdark.com/wri/poetry/averoigne.html "Averoigne"] (poetry), by Clark Ashton Smith (''Challenge'', Spring 1951)
*"The Butcher of Vyones", by Michael Minnis (''The Sorcerer’s Apprentices'', Sunken Citadel/Tenoka Press, 1998)
*"The Circumstances of Ghostly Cats", by Michael Minnis (''Apocalypse Rhythm: The Complete Cthulhu Mythos Tales of Michael Minnis, Volume 1'', Lindisfarne Press)
*"Gros Vert", by Michael Minnis (''Apocalypse Rhythm: The Complete Cthulhu Mythos Tales of Michael Minnis, Volume 1'', Lindisfarne Press)
*[http://www.eldritchdark.com/trib/short/symposium_of_the_gargoyle.html "Symposium of the Gargoyle: A Tale of Nineteenth Century Averoigne"], by Simon Whitechapel
*[http://www.eldritchdark.com/trib/short/passing_of_belzevuthe.html "The Passing of Belzévuthe"] by Simon Whitechapel
*[http://www.eldritchdark.com/trib/short/hugh_the_discerning.html "Hugh the Discerning"] by Garnett Elliott
*[http://www.eldritchdark.com/trib/short/doom_of_azedarac.html "The Doom of Azédarac"] "posthumous collaboration" by Ron Hilger
*[http://www.eldritchdark.com/trib/short/oracle_of_sadoqua.html "The Oracle of Sadoqua"] "posthumous collaboration" by Ron Hilger

A number of other Averoigne stories exist in outline form, uncompleted at the time of Smith's death. These include:
*[http://www.eldritchdark.com/wri/short/gargoyle_of_vyones.html "The Gargoyle of Vyones"]
*[http://www.eldritchdark.com/wri/short/sorceress_of_averoigne.html "The Sorceress of Averoigne/The Tower of Istarelle"]
*[http://www.eldritchdark.com/wri/short/queen_of_the_sabbat.html "Queen of the Sabbat"]
*[http://www.eldritchdark.com/wri/non-fict/other/black_book.html#t48 "The Doom of Azédarac"]
*[http://www.eldritchdark.com/wri/non-fict/other/black_book.html#t48 "The Oracle of Sadoqua"]
*[http://www.eldritchdark.com/wri/short/werewolf_of_averoigne.html "The Werewolf of Averoigne"]

== Other Links ==

* [[Zothique]]

== External Links ==

*[http://www.swordandsorcery.org/cas1.asp The Fantasy Cycles of Clark Ashton Smith]
*[http://www.eldritchdark.com/wri/short/index.html The Eldritch Dark - Short Story Index]

[[Category:Strange Places]]

Original Wiki source: [http://en.wikipedia.org/ Wikipedia]

Miskatonic University (Location)

2006-02-07T17:37:46Z

Bubbles17:

'''Miskatonic University''' is a fictional university located in the equally fictional [[Arkham]], Massachusetts. It was introduced in the stories of [[H.P. Lovecraft]] and continues to figure prominently in [[Cthulhu Mythos]] stories written since his death, as well as in [[role-playing games]] based on the mythos.

Miskatonic University is famous for its collection of occult books. The stories describe the library at the university as holding one of the few genuine copies of the ''[[Necronomicon]]''. Other tomes known to be in its library include the ''[[Unaussprechlichen Kulten]]'' written by [[Friedrich von Junzt]] and the fragmentary ''[[Book of Eibon]]''. According to the stories, Miskatonic has a medical school, which figures prominently in Lovecraft's short story "Herbert West—Reanimator" ([[1922]]). Some real-life retailers sell merchandise such as bumper stickers displaying the school's supposed mascot, the Fighting Cephalopods.

The [[horror movie]] ''[[Re-Animator]]'', directed by [[Stuart Gordon]] and based on a Lovecraft story, took place at Miskatonic University. As a tribute to Lovecraft, [[Bill Pullman]]'s character in 'Brain Dead' attended the university, as did some characters in the film ''[[Dagon (movie)|Dagon]]''.

The Millennium comics series ''[[H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu]]'' introduces [[The Miskatonic Project]] (created by [[Mark Ellis]] with art by [[Darryl Banks]], [[Daryl Hutchinson]] and [[Don Heck]]), a group of investigators who follow up on the loose ends of Lovecraft's original stories, such as "The Whisperer In Darkness".

Also, the [[DC Comics]] character [[Zatanna]], a female magician, uses the alias "Miss Katonic". [[John M. Ford]]'s ''[[Star Trek]]'' novel ''How Much For Just The Planet?'' puts "Princess [[Diane Duane|DeeDee]] the First" into a Miskatonic U. sweatshirt at one point. "[[Dreams in the Witch House]]" (a short film for the SHOWTIME network's "Masters of Horror" series), also based on a [[H.P. Lovecraft]] story and directed by [[Stuart Gordon]], focuses on a Miskatonic University student and takes place in and around the university.

It is speculated that the word "Mis-katonic" is derived from Greek [[chthonic]], since many of Lovecraft's monsters and gods were chthonic.
==External links==
*[http://www.miskatonic-university.org/ A Miskatonic University website]
*[http://www.miskatonic.net/ A mock Miskatonic University site]
*[http://www.yankeeclassic.com/miskatonic/ Another mock Miskatonic University site]
*[http://www.google.com.au/search?q=%22Miskatonic+University%22 Other Miskatonic University websites] ([[Google]] search)

[[Category:Strange Places]]

Original Wiki source: [http://en.wikipedia.org/ Wikipedia]

R'lyeh

2006-02-07T17:33:22Z

Bubbles17:

[[Image:rlyeh-map.gif|right|thumb|R'lyeh is in the middle of one of the biggest patches of empty ocean on Earth.]]
'''R'lyeh''' (pronounced Roo-lee-ah or Rill-AYE-eh) is a fictional city that first appeared in the writings of [[H.P. Lovecraft]]. R'lyeh is a sunken city deep under the Pacific Ocean where the godlike being [[Cthulhu]] resides. R'lyeh is characterized by an architecture based on [[non-Euclidean geometry]].

Coordinates of Latitude 47° 9′ S, Longitude 126° 43′ W have been stated by Lovecraft but never successfully investigated. [[August Derleth]] used the coordinates of S. Latitude 49° 51′ S, Longitude 128° 34′ W in his own writings. These coordinates place the city 5100 nautical miles (5900 statute miles, 9500 kilometers), about ten days' journey for a fast ship, from [[Pohnpei]] (Ponape), an actual island of the area, which consequently plays a part in the [[Cthulhu Mythos]] as the origin of the "[[Ponape Scripture]]", a text describing Cthulhu.

In Lovecraft's fictional [[Cthulhu Mythos]], the most ubiquitous liturgical phrase is "Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn!" -- "In his house at R'lyeh, dead Cthulhu waits [or lies] dreaming."

==City Description==
The R'lyeh description that follows is taken from the city's description in ''[[The Call of Cthulhu]]''.

:A coastline of mingled mud, ooze, and weedy Cyclopean masonry surrounds the nightmare corpse-city of R'lyeh, which was built in measureless aeons behind history by the vast, loathsome shapes that seeped down from the dark stars. Great Cthulhu lies here, and his hordes, hidden in green slimy vaults.
Only a single hideous, monolith-crowned citadel, in which great Cthulhu is buried, actually emerged from the waters in the events recorded in ''[[The Call of Cthulhu]]''. The greenish stone blocks, the dizzying height of the great carven monolith, and the stupefying identity of the colossal statues and bas-reliefs command awe from human onlookers.

The city is a vista of vast angles and stone surfaces - surfaces too great to belong to anything right or proper for this earth, and impious with horrible images and hieroglyphs. The geometry of R’lyeh is abnormal, non-Euclidean, and loathsomely redolent of spheres and dimensions apart from ours.

[[Category:Strange Places]]

Original Wiki source: [http://en.wikipedia.org/ Wikipedia]

Template Ideas

2006-02-04T10:46:50Z

Bubbles17: /* Spoiler Template */

==Scenario discussion template idea==

;Title
;Author
;Appearances : (linked to books/magazines scenario appeared in)

;Spoiler heading

;Synopsis : (perhaps listing of foes/monsters, mythos books, and locations visited)

;Tips for Keepers

;Useful links

'''Sample:''' I'll give an example for [[Dust to Dust]]

==Spoiler Template==

A spoiler template exists. All you have to do is put '''<nowiki>{{spoiler|text=</nowiki>''your text here''<nowiki>}}</nowiki>''' into your text. {{spoiler|text=And it looks just like this!}}

The above is ok, but it doesn't work if there are links - the wiki will not allow one to insert items into the CSS tags. Approved "official wikipedia" spoiler tags styles are here, but I do prefer the highlight. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Spoiler_warning --[[User:Squashua|Squashua]] 16:48, 2 February 2006 (EST)

*It also is ''very'' difficult to read on an LCD monitor as the white, selected text and grey background are just about the same. Perhaps it works better if the grey is darker or even black. [[User:Bubbles17|Bubbles17]] 05:40, 4 February 2006 (EST)
**I just saw the spoiler at [[The Call of Cthulhu (Fiction)]] article. I absolutely cannot read this unless I copy and paste into a word processor and chance the text colour. A lot of bother frankly. [[User:Bubbles17|Bubbles17]] 05:46, 4 February 2006 (EST)

[[Category:Wiki]]

Template Ideas

2006-02-04T10:40:50Z

Bubbles17: /* Spoiler Template */

Dust to Dust

2006-02-03T14:26:34Z

Bubbles17:

'''Dust to Dust'''

by [[Kevin Ross]]

Appears in [[Dead Reckonings]]

'''Spoilers for "Dust to Dust"'''

''Synopsis:''

Martin Felder, bereaved but murderous husband, has turned to alchemy and necromancy to restore to life his wife Virginia, whom he murdered several years previous. Needing bodies for his experiments he hires two local thugs to obtain them via grave robbing... etc etc etc

'''Opposition:'''

Martin Felder, two thugs, the Martin's Beach Prowler, his hand, etc etc etc

'''Mythos Texts:'''

None (though several alchemical texts are found)

'''Settings:'''

[[Martin's Beach]] (and to a lesser extent, [[Arkham]], [[Clark's Corners]], [[Kingsport]], Essex Falls, Glouchester, Manchester, Boston)

'''Keeper's comments:'''

A good introductory scenario based on The Case of Charles Dexter Ward. Has the only full description of Martin's Beach and gives investigators a chance to see much of Lovecraft country.

'''Useful links:'''
[[http://www.deliverance.mcmail.com/lovecraft/ward/cdward.htm The Case of Charles Dexter Ward]]

Dust to Dust

2006-02-03T14:25:50Z

Bubbles17:

'''Dust to Dust'''

by [[Kevin Ross]]

Appears in [[Dead Reckonings]]

'''Spoilers for "Dust to Dust"'''

'''Synopsis:''

Martin Felder, bereaved but murderous husband, has turned to alchemy and necromancy to restore to life his wife Virginia, whom he murdered several years previous. Needing bodies for his experiments he hires two local thugs to obtain them via grave robbing... etc etc etc

'''Opposition:'''

Martin Felder, two thugs, the Martin's Beach Prowler, his hand, etc etc etc

'''Mythos Texts:'''

None (though several alchemical texts are found)

'''Settings:'''

[[Martin's Beach]] (and to a lesser extent, [[Arkham]], [[Clark's Corners]], [[Kingsport]], Essex Falls, Glouchester, Manchester, Boston)

'''Keeper's comments:'''

A good introductory scenario based on The Case of Charles Dexter Ward. Has the only full description of Martin's Beach and gives investigators a chance to see much of Lovecraft country.

'''Useful links:'''
[[http://www.deliverance.mcmail.com/lovecraft/ward/cdward.htm The Case of Charles Dexter Ward]]

Abdul Alhazred

2006-01-31T17:38:06Z

Bubbles17:

'''Abdul Alhazred''', or the '''Mad Arab''', is a fictional character created by the horror writer [[H.P. Lovecraft]]. The term "Mad Arab" in reference to Alhazred is always capitalised and used in the manner of an official title such as another person would be called "Prince" or "Sir" and the term can actually be used in lieu of Alhazred's name as a synonym.

''Abdul Alhazred'' is not an Arabic name. The more proper Arabic form might be ''Abd al-Hazred'' or simply ''Abdul Hazred'', although these are still anomalous, as ''Hazred'' is not one of the 99 Names of God. In Arabic texts, his name has appeared as ''Abdullah al-Ḥaẓrad'' (عبدالله الحظرد).

According to Lovecraft's "History of the [[Necronomicon]]" (written [[1927]], first published [[1938]]), Alhazred was:

:[A] mad poet of [[Sanaá]], in Yemen, who is said to have flourished during the period of the [[Umayyad | Ommiade]] caliphs, circa [[700]] A.D. He visited the ruins of Babylon and the subterranean secrets of [[Memphis, Egypt |Memphis]] and spent ten years alone in the great southern desert of Arabia — the [[Rub' al Khali|Roba el Khaliyeh]] or "Empty Space" of the ancients — and "Dahna" or "Crimson" desert of the modern Arabs, which is held to be inhabited by protective evil spirits and monsters of death. Of this desert many strange and unbelievable marvels are told by those who pretend to have penetrated it. In his last years Alhazred dwelt in Damascus.

In [[730]], while still living in Damascus, Alhazred supposedly authored in Arabic a book of ultimate evil, ''al Azif'', which would later become known as the ''[[Necronomicon]]''.

Those who have any dealings with the Necronomicon usually come to an unpleasant end, and Alhazred was no exception. Again according to Lovecraft:

:Of his final death or disappearance ([[738]] A.D.) many terrible and conflicting things are told. He is said by [[Ibn Khallikan]] (13th century biographer) to have been seized by an invisible monster in broad daylight and devoured horribly before a large number of fright-frozen witnesses. Of his madness many things are told. He claimed to have seen fabulous [[Irem of the Pillars|Irem]], or City of Pillars, and to have found beneath the ruins of a certain [[The Nameless City|nameless desert town]] the shocking annals and secrets of a race older than mankind. He was only an indifferent [[Muslim|Moslem]], worshipping unknown entities whom he called [[Yog-Sothoth]] and [[Cthulhu]].

[[August Derleth]] later made alterations to the biography of Alhazared. One change was redating Alhazared's death to [[731]]. Derleth further wrote on the final fate of Alhazred in his story "[[The Keeper of the Key]]", first published in May, [[1951]]. In this story [[Dr. Laban Shrewsbury]] (a recurring Derleth character) and his assistant at the time, [[Naylan Colum]], discovered Alhazred's burial site. More specifically they were heading a caravan from [[Salalah]], Oman, and crossed the border into Yemen. There they found the unexplored desert area the Necronomicon names as "Roba el Ehaliyeh" or "Roba el Khaliyeh" -- perhaps a form of "Rabia al-Awliya" which, again, is not proper Arabic, but could be an allusion to the Sufi Saint Rabia (pure conjecture). At the center of the area they discovered [[The Nameless City|the Nameless City]], a domain of [[Hastur]]. Shrewsbury, as an old agent of Hastur and devoted enemy of his half-brother [[Cthulhu]], crossed its gates in search of Alhazred's burial site. He indeed found the gate of Alhazred's burial chamber and learned of his fate. Alhazred was kidnapped in Damascus and brought to the Nameless City, where he had earlier studied and learned some of Necronomicon's secrets. As punishment for his betrayal of their secrets, Alhazred was tortured. Then they blinded him and severed his tongue, and finally executed him. The entrance to the chamber warned against disturbing him. But Shrewbury proceeded in entering the chamber and opening the sarcophagus. Though only rugs, bones and dust remained of Alhazred, the sarcophagus also contained an incomplete personal copy of the Necronomicon, written in the Arabic alphabet. Then Shrewsbury used necromancy to recall Alhazred's spirit and ordered it to draw a map of the world as he knew it. After obtaining the map, which revealed the location of [[R'lyeh]] and other secret places, Shrewsbury finally let Alhazred return to his eternal rest.

Original Wiki source: [http://en.wikipedia.org/ Wikipedia]

[[Category:Tenebrous Persons]]

Abdul Alhazred

2006-01-31T17:37:10Z

Bubbles17:

Mordiggian

2006-01-31T17:31:21Z

Bubbles17:

[[Category:Gods and Monsters]][[Category:Great Old Ones]]
Mordiggian is a fictional character in the [[Cthulhu Mythos]]. "He" is the creation of [[Clark Ashton Smith]] and appears in his short story "The Charnel God".

==Mordiggian in the mythos==

<blockquote>
. . . [A] colossal shadow [appeared] that was not wrought by anything in the room. It filled the portals from side to side, it towered above the lintel – and then, swiftly, it became more than a shadow: it was a bulk of darkness, black and opaque, that somehow blinded the eyes with a strange dazzlement. It seemed to suck the flame from the red urns and fill the chamber with a chill of utter death and voidness. Its form was that of a worm-shapen column, huge as a dragon, its further coils still issuing from the gloom of the corridor; but it changed from moment to moment, swirling and spinning as if alive with the vortical energies of dark aeons. Briefly it took the semblance of some demoniac giant with eyeless head and limbless body; and then, leaping and spreading like smoky fire, it swept into the chamber.
<br />—Clark Ashton Smith, "The Charnel God"
</blockquote>

Mordiggian is a [[Great Old One]] and is worshipped by [[ghoul]]s. When he appears, all fire and heat is sucked into his swirling, void-like body, instantly lowering the temperature by many degrees, and filling the area with a deathly cold and still air. All within the presence of the Great Ghoul are blinded by the weird changing and dazzling form of the [[wikt:necromantic|necromantic]] god.

Mordiggian attacks by engulfing victims, sucking away their life force, and dissolving their bodies. Nothing remains of the Charnel God's prey, and they are never seen again in the waking world or in the Dreamlands. However, Mordiggian does not appear to be especially malevolent ("Mordiggian...was a benign deity in the eyes of the inhabitants of [[Zul-Bha-Sair]]"), and has been known to spare those who have not personally offended him or his followers (the ghouls).

==Mordiggian's cult==

Mordiggian's [[wikt:cult|cult]] consists exclusively of ghouls, though other races may offer up their dead to the Charnel God, but only as appeasement and not as actual worship. The ghoul priests of Mordiggian cover themselves in long hooded robes of funeral-purple and silver skull-like masks. A [[wikt:tome|tome]] known as ''The Ghoul's Manuscript'' deals with Mordiggian and his cult.

Although Mordiggian dwells within the [[Dreamlands]], it is assumed that he may also enter the waking world, using the same grave-tunnels and tombs as his ghoul followers. Proof of this is demonstrated by his worship in the city of [[Zul-Bha-Sair]] on the continent of [[Zothique]] in the distant future. There he is the only god since "from years that are lost to man's memory", and all who die in the city are offered to him as [[wikt:provender|provender]].

==Reference==

* Smith, Clark Ashton. "The Charnel God" (1934).

==External link==

* [http://www.worldofschmitt.com/writings/smith/charnelgod.html "The Charnel God" by Clark Ashton Smith]



Original Wiki source: [http://en.wikipedia.org/ Wikipedia]

Abdul Alhazred

2006-01-31T17:28:53Z

Bubbles17:

DOOM

2006-01-31T17:23:02Z

Bubbles17:

[[Image:Doom-box-art.jpg|thumb|200px|The DOOM title artwork, painted by Don Ivan Punchatz, depicts the lone hero, a space marine, fighting demonic creatures.]]

'''''Doom''''' (or '''''DOOM'''''){{fn|a}} is a [[1993]] [[computer game]] by [[id Software]] that is among the landmark titles in the [[first-person shooter]] genre. It is widely recognized for its pioneer use of immersive [[3D computer graphics|3D graphics]], [[multiplayer|networked multiplayer gaming]], and the support for players to create custom expansions ([[DOOMWAD|WAD]]s). Distributed as [[shareware]], ''DOOM'' was downloaded by an estimated 10 million people within two years, popularizing the mode of gameplay and spawning a gaming [[subculture]]; as a sign of its impact on the industry, games from the mid-[[1990s]] boom of first-person shooters are often known simply as "[[DOOM clone|''DOOM'' clones]]". Its graphic and interactive [[violence]]{{ref|ESRB}} has also made ''DOOM'' the subject of much [[video game controversy|controversy]] reaching outside the gaming world.

The ''DOOM'' franchise was continued with ''[[DOOM II|DOOM II: Hell on Earth]]'' ([[1994]]) and numerous [[expansion pack]]s, including ''[[Versions and ports of DOOM|The Ultimate DOOM]]'' ([[1995]]), ''[[Master Levels for DOOM II]]'' ([[1995]]), and ''[[Final DOOM]]'' ([[1996]]). Originally released for [[personal computer|PC]]/[[DOS]], these games have later been [[porting|ported]] to many other platforms, including nine different [[game console]]s. The series lost mainstream appeal as the technology of the [[Doom engine|''DOOM'' game engine]] was surpassed in the mid-1990s, although fans have continued making WADs, [[speedrunning]], and modifying the [[source code]] which was released in [[1997]]. The franchise again received popular attention in [[2004]] with the release of ''[[DOOM 3]]'', a retelling of the original game using new technology, and an associated [[2005]] [[DOOM (film)|''DOOM'' motion picture]].

==Game features==

===Story===
''Doom'' has a [[science-fiction]]-[[horror (genre)|horror]]-theme, and a simple [[plot]]. The background is only given in the game's manual, and the in-game story is mainly advanced with short messages displayed between the game's episodes.

The player takes the role of a nameless [[space marine]], "one of Earth's toughest, hardened in combat and trained for action", who has been deported to [[Mars]] for assaulting a senior officer when ordered to kill unarmed civilians. He is forced to work for the [[Union Aerospace Corporation]] (UAC), a military-industrial conglomerate that is performing secret experiments with [[teleportation]] between the moons of Mars, [[Phobos (moon)|Phobos]] and [[Deimos (moon)|Deimos]]. Suddenly, something goes wrong and creatures from [[Hell]] come out of the teleportation gates. A defensive response from base security fails to halt the invasion, and the bases quickly get overrun by [[demon]]s, all personnel getting killed or turned into [[zombie]]s. At the same time, Deimos vanishes entirely. A UAC team from Mars is sent to Phobos to investigate the incident, but soon [[radio]] contact ceases and only one human is left alive — the player, whose task is to make it out alive.{{ref|story}}

[[Image:Doom_ingame_1.png|thumb|240px|''Episode I: Knee-Deep in the Dead'' takes place in the [[military base]] on [[Phobos (moon)|Phobos]]. In this image the main character is currently using the [[chainsaw]], a powerful [[mêlée]]-only weapon. Pools of [[toxic waste]] are visible on both sides, and a [[zombie|zombified]] human approaches.]]
[[Image:Doom ingame 2.png|right|thumb|240px|''Episode III: Inferno'' is set in [[Hell]]. The main character has just fired the [[shotgun]] at a group of [[Imp]]s and is cycling it. He is badly injured and has only seven shells left.]]

{{spoiler}}

In order to beat the game, the player must fight through three episodes containing nine [[level (computer and video games)|level]]s each (see [[Episodes and levels of Doom|Episodes and levels of ''Doom'']]). ''Knee-Deep in the Dead'', the first episode and the only one in the [[shareware]] version, is set in the high-tech military bases on Phobos. It ends with the player fighting the [[Doom enemies#Baron of Hell|Barons of Hell]] and afterwards entering the teleporter leading to Deimos, there getting overwhelmed by monsters and seemingly killed. In the second episode, ''Shores of Hell'', the player journeys through the Deimos installation, whose areas are interwoven with beastly architecture. After encountering the [[Doom enemies#Cyberdemon|Cyberdemon]], the truth about the vanished moon is discovered: it is floating above Hell. The player climbs down to the surface, and the final episode, ''Inferno'', begins. After destroying the final [[boss (video games)|boss]], the [[Doom enemies#Spider Mastermind|Spider Mastermind]], a hidden doorway opens for the hero who has "proven too tough for Hell to contain", leading back home to Earth. The expansion pack ''[[Ultimate Doom]]'' adds a fourth episode, ''Thy Flesh Consumed'', chronicling the marine's return to Earth.

===Gameplay===
''Main article: [[Gameplay of Doom]]''

Being a [[first-person shooter]], ''Doom'' is experienced through the eyes of the main character. The objective of each level is simply to locate the exit room that leads to the next area (usually labeled with an inviting red EXIT sign), while surviving all hazards on the way. Among the obstacles are monsters, pits of [[radioactive waste|radioactive slime]], ceilings that come down and [[crushing|crush]] the player, and locked doors for which a [[keycard]] or remote switch need to be located. The levels are sometimes labyrinthine (the [[automap]] is a crucial aid in navigating them), and feature plenty of hidden secret areas that hold [[power-up]]s as a reward for players who explore.

''Doom'' is notable for the [[weapon]]s arsenal available to the player, which became prototypical for first-person shooters. The player starts armed only with a [[pistol]], and [[brass knuckles|brass-knuckled]] [[fist]]s in case the [[ammunition]] runs out, but larger weapons can be picked up: these are a [[chainsaw]], a [[shotgun]], a [[chaingun]], a [[rocket launcher]], a [[plasma rifle]], and finally the immensely powerful [[BFG 9000]]. There is a wide array of power-ups, such as a [[backpack]] that increases the player's ammunition-carrying capacity, [[armor]], [[first aid kit]]s to restore health, and blue demonic orbs that boost the player's health percentage beyond 100%, up to a maximum of 200%.

The enemy monsters in ''Doom'' make up the central gameplay element. The player faces them in large numbers, on the higher of the game's five [[difficulty level]]s often encountering a dozen or more in the same room. There are 10 types of monsters (''[[Doom II]]'' doubles this figure), including possessed humans as well as [[demon]]s of different strength, ranging from weak but ubiquitous [[imp]]s and red, floating [[cacodemon]]s, to the [[boss (video games)|bosses]] which survive multiple strikes even from the player's strongest weapons. The monsters have very simple behavior, consisting of either walking toward the player or attacking by throwing fireballs, biting, and scratching (though they can also [[monster infighting|fight each other]]).

Aside from the [[single-player]] game mode, ''Doom'' features two [[multiplayer]] modes playable over a [[computer network|network]]: "co-operative", in which two to four players team up against the legions of Hell, and "[[deathmatch]]", in which two to four players fight each other.
{{multi-video start}}
{{multi-video item|filename=Doom single-player E3M6.ogg|title=''Doom'' single-player gameplay demonstration|description=Video of a single-player game, in the level ''E3M6: Mount Erebus''.|format=[[Theora]]}}
{{multi-video end}}

==Development==
''Main article: [[Making of Doom]]''

[[Image:Adrian Carmack cropped.jpg|thumb|240px|Some of the ''Doom'' monsters were digitized from sculptures. Here, [[Adrian Carmack]] creates the [[Doom enemies#Baron of Hell|Baron of Hell]] in clay.]]

The development of ''Doom'' started in [[1992]] with [[John Carmack]] creating the new [[game engine]], the [[Doom engine|''Doom'' engine]], while the rest of the team finished ''[[Spear of Destiny (computer game)|Spear of Destiny]]''. When the [[game design]] phase began in late 1992, the main thematic influences were the [[science fiction]] [[action movie]] ''[[Aliens (1986 film)|Aliens]]'' and the [[horror movie]] ''[[Evil Dead II]]''. The title of the game was picked by Carmack:
:''There is a scene in "[[The Color of Money]]" where [[Tom Cruise|Tom Cruse]] ''[sic]'' shows up at a pool hall with a custom pool cue in a case. "What do you have in there?" asks someone. "Doom." replied Cruse with a cocky grin. That, and the resulting carnage, was how I viewed us springing the game on the industry.'' {{ref|DWCarmack}}

Designer [[Tom Hall]] wrote an elaborate [[design document]] called the ''Doom Bible'', according to which the game would feature a detailed storyline, multiple player characters, and a number of interactive features.{{ref|bible}} However, many of his ideas were discarded during development in favor of simpler design primarily advocated by Carmack, resulting in Hall in the end being forced to resign due to not contributing effectively in the direction the rest of the team was going. Most of the [[level design]] that ended up in the final game is that of [[John Romero]] and [[Sandy Petersen]]. The graphics, by [[Adrian Carmack]], [[Kevin Cloud]] and [[Gregor Punchatz]], were created in various ways: although much was drawn or painted, several of the monsters were digitized from sculptures in [[clay]] or [[latex]], and some of the weapons are toy guns from [[Toys "R" Us]]. A [[heavy metal music|heavy metal]]-[[ambient music|ambient]] soundtrack was supplied by [[Bobby Prince]]. {{ref|MastersOfDoom}}

===Engine technology===
''Main article: [[Doom engine]]''

''Doom''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s primary distinguishing feature at the time of its release was its realistic [[3D computer graphics|3D graphics]], then unparalleled by other [[real-time computing|real-time]]-rendered games running on consumer-level hardware. The advance from id Software's previous game ''[[Wolfenstein 3D]]'' was enabled by several new features in the ''Doom'' engine:

[[Image:Doom darkness.png|thumb|240px|''Doom'' relies heavily on contrasts of lighting in building its atmosphere.]]

* Height differences (all rooms in ''Wolfenstein 3D'' are at the same altitude);
* Non-[[perpendicular]] walls (all walls in ''Wolfenstein 3D'' run along a rectangular grid);
* Full [[texture mapping]] of all surfaces (in ''Wolfenstein 3D'', floors and ceilings are not texture mapped); and,
* Varying light levels (all areas in ''Wolfenstein 3D'' are fully lit at the same brightness). While contributing to the game's visual authenticity by allowing effects such as highlights and shadows, this perhaps most importantly added to the game's atmosphere and even gameplay; the use of darkness as a means of frightening or confusing the player was an unseen element in games.

In contrast to the static levels of ''Wolfenstein 3D'', those in ''Doom'' are highly interactive: platforms can lower and rise, floors can raise sequentially to form [[staircase]]s, and bridges can raise and lower. The life-like feeling of the environment was enhanced further by the [[stereo sound]] system, which made it possible to roughly tell the direction and distance of a sound's origin. The player is kept on guard by the grunts and gnarls of monsters, and receives occasional clues to finding secret areas in the form of sounds of hidden doors opening remotely. Monsters can also become aware of the player's presence by hearing distant gunshots.

Carmack had to make use of several tricks for these features to run smoothly on 1993's home computers. Most significantly, ''Doom'' levels are not truly three-dimensional; they are internally represented on a [[plane (mathematics)|plane]], with height differences added separately (a similar trick is still used by many games to create huge outdoor environments). This leads to several limitations: it is, for example, not possible for a ''Doom'' level to have one room over another. This two-dimensional representation does, however, have the benefit that rendering can be done very quickly, using a [[Binary space partitioning|binary space partitioning]] method. Another benefit was the clearness of the automap because it could be displayed with 2D vectors without the risk of overlapping.

Another important feature of the ''Doom'' engine is a modular approach that allows the game content to be replaced by loading custom [[Doom WAD|WAD files]]. ''Wolfenstein 3D'' was not designed to be expansible, but fans had nevertheless figured out how to create their own levels for it, and ''Doom'' was designed to take the phenomenon further. The ability to create custom scenarios contributed significantly to the game's popularity (see the section on [[#WADs|WADs]] below).

==Release and later history==

===Initial popularity===
The development of ''Doom'' was surrounded by much anticipation. The large number of posts in Internet [[newsgroup]]s about ''Doom'' led to the [[SPISPOPD]] joke, to which a nod was given in the game in the form of a [[cheat code]]. In addition to news, rumors, and [[screenshot]]s, unauthorized leaked [[alpha version]]s also circulated online. (Many years later these alpha versions were sanctioned by id Software because of historical interest; they reveal how the game progressed from its early design stages.) The first public version of ''Doom'' was uploaded to an [[FTP]] run at the [[University of Wisconsin]] on [[December 10]], [[1993]].

Released as [[shareware]], people were encouraged to distribute ''Doom'' further, and did so: in [[1995]], ''Doom'' was estimated to have been installed on more than 10 million computers. Although most users did not purchase the registered version, over one million copies have been sold, and the popularity helped the sales of later games in the ''Doom'' series which were not released as shareware. In 1995, ''[[The Ultimate Doom]]'' (version 1.9, including episode IV) was released, making this the first time that ''Doom'' was sold commercially in stores.

[[Image:Billdoom.png|thumb|240px|Recognizing the game's popularity, [[Bill Gates]] made a presentation to promote [[Windows 95]] while digitally superimposed into ''Doom'' to blast zombies.]]

In a press release dated [[January 1]], [[1993]], id Software had written that they expected ''Doom'' to be "the number one cause of decreased productivity in businesses around the world". This prediction came true at least in part: ''Doom'' became a major problem at workplaces, both occupying the time of employees and clogging [[computer network]]s with traffic caused by deathmatches. [[Intel]], [[Lotus Development]] and [[Carnegie Mellon University]] are among many organizations reported to form policies specifically disallowing ''Doom''-playing during work hours. At the [[Microsoft]] campus, ''Doom'' was by one account{{ref_label|MastersOfDoom|5a|a}} equal to a "religious phenomenon".

In late 1995, ''Doom'' was estimated to be installed on more computers worldwide than Microsoft's new operating system [[Windows 95]], despite million-dollar advertising campaigns for the latter. The game's popularity prompted [[Bill Gates]] to briefly consider buying id Software, and led Microsoft to develop a Windows 95 port of ''Doom'' to promote the operating system as a gaming platform. One such presentation to promote Windows 95 had Bill Gates digitally superimposed into the game. {{ref|BillGates}}

''Doom'' was also widely praised in the gaming press. In [[1994]], it was awarded [[Game of the Year]] by both [[PC Gamer]] and [[Computer Gaming World]]. It also received the Award for Technical Excellence from [[PC Magazine]], and the Best Action Adventure Game award by the [[Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences]].

In addition to the thrilling nature of the single-player game, the [[deathmatch]] mode was an important factor in the game's popularity. ''Doom'' was not the first first-person shooter with a deathmatch mode—''[[MIDI Maze]]'' on the [[Atari ST]] had one in [[1987]], using the [[MIDI]] ports built into the ST to network up to four machines together. However, ''Doom'' was the first game to allow deathmatching over [[ethernet]], and the combination of violence and gore with fighting friends made deathmatching in ''Doom'' particularly attractive. Two player deathmatch was also possible over a phone line by using a [[modem]]. Due to its widespread distribution, ''Doom'' hence became the game that introduced deathmatching to a large audience (and was also the first game to use the term "deathmatch").

===WADs===
''Main article: [[Doom WAD]]s''

[[Image:Ghostbusters Doom.png|thumb|240px|''[[Ghostbusters]]'' is one of many movies that have been made into ''Doom'' WADs.]]

The ability to create custom levels and otherwise modify the game, in the form of custom [[WAD file]]s, turned out to be a particularly popular aspect of ''Doom''. Gaining the first large [[mod (computer gaming)|mod]]-making community, ''Doom'' affected the culture surrounding first-person shooters, and also the industry. Several to-be professional [[game designer]]s started their careers making ''Doom'' WADs as a hobby, among them [[Tim Willits]], who later became the lead designer at id Software.

The first [[level editor]]s appeared in early [[1994]], and additional tools have been created that allow most aspects of the game to be edited. Although the majority of WADs contain one or several custom levels mostly in the style of the original game, others implement new monsters and other resources, and heavily alter the gameplay; several popular movies, television series and other brands from popular culture have been turned into ''Doom'' WADs by fans (without authorization), including ''[[Aliens (1986 film)|Aliens]]'', ''[[Star Wars]]'', ''[[The X-files]]'', ''[[The Simpsons]]'' and ''[[Batman]]''.

Some addon files were also made which changed the sounds made by the various characters and weapons. Notable ones were samples from [[beavis and butthead]] and the famous orgasm scene from ''[[When Harry Met Sally...]]''.

Around [[1994]] and [[1995]], WADs were primarily distributed online over [[bulletin board system]]s or sold in collections on [[compact disc]]s in computer shops, sometimes bundled with editing guide books. [[FTP]] servers became the primary method in later years. A few WADs have been released commercially, including the ''[[Master Levels for Doom II]]'', which was released in [[1995]] along with ''Maximum Doom'', a CD containing 1,830 WADs that had been downloaded from the Internet. Several thousands of WADs have been created in total: the ''idgames'' FTP archive contains over 13,000 files{{ref|idgamesCount}}, and this does not represent the complete output of ''Doom'' fans.

Third party programs were also written to handle the loading of various WADs, since the game is a [[DOS]] game and all commands had to be entered on the [[command line]] to run. A typical launcher would allow the player to select which files to load from a menu, making it much easier to start.

===Clones and related products===
''Main articles: [[Doom clone]]s, [[Versions and ports of Doom]], [[Doom spin-offs and homages]]''

[[Image:Doom clone vs first person shooter.png|thumb|240px|The phrase "[[Doom clone|''Doom'' clone]]" was initially popular to describe the style of gameplay in ''Doom''-like games, but after [[1996]] was gradually replaced by the more generic "[[first person shooter]]".]]

The popularity of ''Doom'' led to the development of a sequel, ''[[Doom II: Hell on Earth]]'' ([[1994]]), as well as expansion packs and alternate versions based on the same game engine, including ''[[The Ultimate Doom]]'' ([[1995]]), ''[[Final Doom]]'' ([[1996]]), and ''[[Doom 64]]'' ([[1997]]). ''Doom'' became a [[killer application]] that all capable [[game console|console]]s and [[operating system]]s were expected to have, and versions of ''Doom'' have subsequently been released for the following systems: [[DOS]], [[Microsoft Windows]], [[QNX]], [[Irix]], [[NEXTSTEP]], [[Linux]], [[Apple Macintosh]], [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System|Super NES]], [[Sega 32X]], Sony [[PlayStation]], [[Game Boy Advance]], [[RiscOS]], [[Atari Jaguar]], [[Sega Saturn]], [[Nintendo 64]], the [[Tapwave Zodiac]] and [[3DO Interactive Multiplayer|3DO]]. The total number of copies of ''Doom'' games sold is unknown, but may be well over 4 million{{ref|sales}}; ''Doom II'' alone has sold for over $100 million.

The game engine was licensed to several other companies as well, who released their own games based on it, including ''[[Heretic (computer game)|Heretic]]'', ''[[HeXen]]'', ''[[Strife]]'' and ''[[HacX]]''. There is also a ''Doom''-based game released by a breakfast [[cereal]] maker as a product tie-in called ''[[Chex Quest]]'', and the [[United States Marine Corps]] released ''[[Marine Doom]]'', designed to "teach teamwork, coordination and decision-making".

Dozens of new first-person shooter titles appeared following ''Doom''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s release, and they were often referred to as "[[Doom clone|''Doom'' clones]]" rather than "first-person shooters". Some of these were certainly "clones"—hastily assembled and quickly forgotten about—others explored new grounds of the genre and were highly acclaimed. ''Doom''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s principal rivals were [[Apogee Software|Apogee]]'s ''[[Rise of the Triad]]'' and [[Origin Systems]]' ''[[System Shock]]''. The popularity of ''[[Star Wars]]''-themed WADs is rumored to have been the factor that prompted [[LucasArts]] to create their first-person shooter ''[[Dark Forces]]''. {{ref|GamespyClones}}

When, three years later, [[3D Realms]] released ''[[Duke Nukem 3D]]'', a tongue-in-cheek science fiction shooter based on [[Ken Silverman]]'s technologically similar [[Build engine|''Build'' engine]], id Software had nearly finished ''[[Quake]]'', its next-generation game, which mirrored ''Doom''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s success for the remainder of the [[1990s]] and significantly reduced interest in its predecessor. The franchise remained in that state until [[2000]], when ''[[Doom 3]]'' was announced. A retelling of the original ''Doom'' using entirely new graphics technology, ''Doom 3'' was [[hype]]d to provide as large a leap in realism and interactivity as the original ''Doom'', but received mixed reactions when released in [[2004]].

''Doom'' has appeared in several forms in addition to games, including a [[Doom comic book|comic book]], four novels by [[Dafydd Ab Hugh]] and [[Brad Linaweaver]] (loosely based on events and locations in the games), and [[Doom (movie)|a film]] starring [[Karl Urban]] and [[The Rock (entertainer)|The Rock]] released in [[2005]]. The game's development and impact on popular culture is also the subject of the book ''[[Masters of Doom]]'' by [[David Kushner]].

===Controversy===
[[Image:Doom gibs.png|thumb|240px|The [[Shoulder-launched missile weapon|rocket launcher]] can be used to explode enemies into piles of [[gibs]]; the graphic violence made ''Doom'' highly controversial.]]

''Doom'' was and remains notorious for its high levels of [[violence]], [[gore]], and [[Satanism|Satanic]] imagery, which have generated much controversy from a broad range of groups. It has been criticized numerous times by [[Christianity|Christian]] organizations for its diabolic undertones and was dubbed a "mass murder simulator" by critic and [[Killology Research Group]] founder [[Dave Grossman (author)|Lt. Col. David Grossman]].{{ref|Grossman}} ''Doom'' prompted fears that the then-emerging [[virtual reality]] technology could be used to simulate extremely realistic killing, and in [[1994]] led to unsuccessful attempts by [[Washington]] [[State Senator|state senator]] [[Phil Talmadge]] to introduce compulsory licensing of VR use.

The game again sparked controversy throughout a period of [[school massacre|school shooting]]s in the [[United States]] when it was found that [[Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold]], who committed the [[Columbine High School massacre]] in [[1999]], were avid players of the game. While planning for the massacre, Harris said that the killing would be "like fucking ''Doom''" and that his shotgun was "straight out of" the game{{ref|Columbine}}. A rumor spread afterwards that Harris had designed ''Doom'' levels that looked like the halls of the high school, populated with representations of Harris's classmates and teachers, and that Harris practiced for Columbine by playing these levels over and over. However, although Harris did design ''Doom'' levels, they were not simulations of Columbine (see [[Harris levels]]).

===Continued legacy===
''Doom'' is widely regarded as one of the [[Computer and video games that have been considered the greatest ever|most important titles]] in gaming history. It was voted the "#1 game of all time" in a poll among over 100 game developers and journalists conducted by [[GameSpy]] in [[July]] [[2001]]{{ref|no1}}, and [[PC Gamer]] proclaimed ''Doom'' the most influential game of all time in its ten-year anniversary issue in [[April]] [[2004]]. However, several game journalists have also contrasted the relatively simplistic gameplay in ''Doom'' unfavorably with more story-oriented first-person shooters such as ''[[Half-Life]]''.

Although the popularity of the ''Doom'' games dropped with the release of ''[[Quake]]'' ([[1996]]) and afterwards, the games have retained a strong fan base that continues playing competitively and creating [[Doom WAD|WADs]] (the ''idgames'' FTP archive receives a few to a dozen new WADs each week [[as of 2005]]), and ''Doom''-related news is still tracked at multiple websites such as [[Doomworld]]. Interest in ''Doom'' was renewed in [[1997]], when the [[source code]] for the ''Doom'' engine was released (it was also placed under the [[GNU General Public License]] in [[1999]]). Fans then began [[porting]] the game to various operating systems, even to previously unsupported platforms such as the [[Dreamcast]], [[PlayStation Portable|PSP]] and the [[iPod]], and adding new features such as [[OpenGL]] rendering and [[scripting]], which allows WADs to alter the gameplay more radically. There are well over 50 different [[Doom source port|''Doom'' source ports]], some of which remain under active development.

Devoted players have spent years creating [[Doom speedrunning|speedruns for ''Doom'']], competing for the quickest completion times and sharing knowledge about routes through the levels and how to exploit [[computer bug|bug]]s in the ''Doom'' engine for shortcuts. Achievements include the completion of both ''Doom'' and ''Doom II'' on the ''Ultra-Violence'' difficulty setting in less than 30 minutes each. In addition, a few players have also managed to complete ''Doom II'' in a single run on the ''Nightmare!'' difficulty setting, on which monsters are twice as fast and respawn some time after they have been killed (level designer [[John Romero]] characterized the idea of such a run as "[just having to be] impossible"{{ref|Nightmare}}). Movies of most of these runs are available from the [[COMPET-N]] website.

==References==
# {{note|ESRB}} {{Web reference |author=Entertainment Software Rating Board |title=Game ratings |url=http://www.esrb.org/search_results.asp?key=doom&x=0&y=0&type=game |date=December 4 |year=2004}}
# {{note|story}} {{Web reference |author=id Software |title=The ''Doom'' instruction manual (unofficial transcript) |publishyear=1993 |url=http://oregonstate.edu/~lloydo/doomstory.txt |date=November 15 |year=2005}}
# {{note|DWCarmack}} {{Web reference |author=Doomworld |title=Interview with John Carmack |url=http://doomworld.com/interviews/int7.shtml |date=November 15 |year=2005}}
# {{note|bible}} {{Web reference |author=Hall, Tom |title=The Doom Bible |publishyear=1992 |publisher=Doomworld (1998) |url=http://5years.doomworld.com/doombible/ |date=November 15 |year=2005}}
# {{note|MastersOfDoom}}{{note_label|MastersOfDoom|6|a}} {{Book reference |Author=Kushner, David |Title=[[Masters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture]] |Publisher=Random House Publishing Group |Year=2003 |ID=ISBN 0-3755-0524-5}}
# {{note|BillGates}} {{Web reference |author=Lombardo, Mike |publisher=Reel Splatter |title=Bonus movie: Bill Gates "DOOM" video |url=http://www.reelsplatter.com/downloads.htm |date=November 15 |year=2005}}
# {{note|idgamesCount}} {{Web reference |author=Doomworld |title=/idgames database |url=http://www.doomworld.com/idgames/ |date=September 3 |year=2005}}
# {{note|sales}} {{Web reference |author=Doom Wiki |title=Sales |url=http://doom.wikicities.com/wiki/Sales |date=November 15 |year=2005 |publishyear=2005}}
# {{note|GamespyClones}} {{Web reference |author=Turner, Benjamin & Bowen, Kevin |title=Bringin' in the DOOM Clones |url=http://archive.gamespy.com/articles/december03/doom/clones/index2.shtml |publisher=GameSpy |publishyear=2003 |date=November 15 |year=2005}}
# {{note|Grossman}} {{Web reference |author=Irvine, Reed & Kincaid, Cliff |title=Video Games Can Kill |url=http://www.aim.org/media_monitor/A3327_0_2_0_C/ |publisher=Accuracy In Media |publishyear=1999 |date=November 15 |year=2005}}
# {{note|Columbine}} {{Web reference |author=4-20: a Columbine site |title=Basement Tapes: quotes and transcripts from Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold's video tapes |url=http://columbine.free2host.net/quotes.html |date=November 15 |year=2005}}
# {{note|no1}} {{Web reference |author=GameSpy |title=GameSpy's Top 50 Games of All Time |url=http://archive.gamespy.com/articles/july01/top50index/ |publishyear=2001 |publisher=GameSpy |date=November 15 |year=2005}}
# {{note|Nightmare}} {{Web reference |author=Hegyi, Adam |title=Player profile for Thomas "Panter" Pilger |publishyear=1992 |url=http://www.doom2.net/~compet-n/index.cgi?action=players&page=panter |date=November 15 |year=2005}}
* {{Web reference |author=Leukart, Hank |title=The "Official" Doom FAQ |publishyear=1994 |url=http://www.gamers.org/docs/FAQ/doomfaq/ |date=November 15 |year=2005}}
* {{Web reference |author=Romero, John |title=1993: Doom |work=Planet Rome.ro |url=http://rome.ro/games_doom.htm |date=November 15 |year=2005}}

==Notes==
*{{fnb|a}} The variations ''Doom'' and ''DOOM'' have both been used in official contexts. The variation ''DooM'', stylized after the game's logo, is also occasionally encountered, but has fallen out of use almost completely in recent years.

==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
{{wikibooks}}
* Official websites
** [http://www.idsoftware.com/games/doom/ ''Doom'' at id Software's official website]
** [http://www.activision.com/en_US/brand/4689f00d-2019-4646-b3ee-f262531c33d6.html ''Doom'' at Activision's official website]

* Unofficial portal sites with ''Doom''-related news, forums, information resources, and downloads
** [http://www.doomworld.com/ Doomworld.com] - [[Doomworld]]
** [http://www.planetdoom.com/ PlanetDoom.com]
** [http://www.newdoom.com/ NewDoom.com]

* Information resources
** [http://doom.wikicities.com/wiki/Entryway The Doom Wiki] at [[Wikicities]] - includes encyclopedic articles, trivia, strategy guides, and editing information
** [http://www.classicdoom.com/ ClassicDoom.com] - focuses on walkthroughs and comparisons of ''Doom'' versions
** [http://www.doomworld.com/pageofdoom The Page of Doom] - contains articles about the history of the ''Doom'' games
** [http://www.itplaysdoom.com/ It Plays Doom] - a database of the different gadgets ''Doom'' has been ported to
** [http://gh.ffshrine.org/soundtracks/209 Doom Soundtrack]

* WADs and fan creations
** [http://www.doomworld.com/idgames Doomworld's web interface to the comprehensive idgames FTP archive]
** [http://www.doom2.net/~compet-n/index.cgi Compet-N] - [[Compet-N]] - the main [[Doom speedrunning|''Doom'' speedrunning]] site
** [http://doom.ocremix.org/ The Dark Side of Phobos] - unofficial album with rearranged ''Doom'' music
** [http://www.doomwadstation.com/ Doom Wad Station] - Thousands of maps ready for download!

{{DOOMgames}}



[[Category:Computer Games]]

Original Wiki source: [http://en.wikipedia.org/ Wikipedia]

Abdul Alhazred

2006-01-31T17:18:55Z

Bubbles17:

'''Abdul Alhazred''', or the '''Mad Arab''', is a fictional character created by the horror writer [[H.P. Lovecraft]]. The term "Mad Arab" in reference to Alhazred is always capitalised and used in the manner of an official title such as another person would be called "Prince" or "Sir" and the term can actually be used in lieu of Alhazred's name as a synonym.

''Abdul Alhazred'' is not an Arabic name. The more proper Arabic form might be ''Abd-el-Hazred'' or simply ''Abdul Hazred'', although these are still anomalous, as ''Hazred'' is not one of the 99 Names of God. In Arabic texts, his name has appeared as ''Abdullah Alhazred'' (عبدالله الحظرد).

According to Lovecraft's "History of the [[Necronomicon]]" (written [[1927]], first published [[1938]]), Alhazred was:

:[A] mad poet of [[Sanaá]], in Yemen, who is said to have flourished during the period of the [[Umayyad | Ommiade]] caliphs, circa [[700]] A.D. He visited the ruins of Babylon and the subterranean secrets of [[Memphis, Egypt |Memphis]] and spent ten years alone in the great southern desert of Arabia — the [[Rub' al Khali|Roba el Khaliyeh]] or "Empty Space" of the ancients — and "Dahna" or "Crimson" desert of the modern Arabs, which is held to be inhabited by protective evil spirits and monsters of death. Of this desert many strange and unbelievable marvels are told by those who pretend to have penetrated it. In his last years Alhazred dwelt in Damascus.

In [[730]], while still living in Damascus, Alhazred supposedly authored in Arabic a book of ultimate evil, ''al Azif'', which would later become known as the ''[[Necronomicon]]''.

Those who have any dealings with the Necronomicon usually come to an unpleasant end, and Alhazred was no exception. Again according to Lovecraft:

:Of his final death or disappearance ([[738]] A.D.) many terrible and conflicting things are told. He is said by [[Ibn Khallikan]] (13th century biographer) to have been seized by an invisible monster in broad daylight and devoured horribly before a large number of fright-frozen witnesses. Of his madness many things are told. He claimed to have seen fabulous [[Irem of the Pillars|Irem]], or City of Pillars, and to have found beneath the ruins of a certain [[The Nameless City|nameless desert town]] the shocking annals and secrets of a race older than mankind. He was only an indifferent [[Muslim|Moslem]], worshipping unknown entities whom he called [[Yog-Sothoth]] and [[Cthulhu]].

[[August Derleth]] later made alterations to the biography of Alhazared. One change was redating Alhazared's death to [[731]]. Derleth further wrote on the final fate of Alhazred in his story "[[The Keeper of the Key]]", first published in May, [[1951]]. In this story [[Dr. Laban Shrewsbury]] (a recurring Derleth character) and his assistant at the time, [[Naylan Colum]], discovered Alhazred's burial site. More specifically they were heading a caravan from [[Salalah]], Oman, and crossed the border into Yemen. There they found the unexplored desert area the Necronomicon names as "Roba el Ehaliyeh" or "Roba el Khaliyeh" -- perhaps a form of "Rabia al-Awliya" which, again, is not proper Arabic, but could be an allusion to the Sufi Saint Rabia (pure conjecture). At the center of the area they discovered [[The Nameless City|the Nameless City]], a domain of [[Hastur]]. Shrewsbury, as an old agent of Hastur and devoted enemy of his half-brother [[Cthulhu]], crossed its gates in search of Alhazred's burial site. He indeed found the gate of Alhazred's burial chamber and learned of his fate. Alhazred was kidnapped in Damascus and brought to the Nameless City, where he had earlier studied and learned some of Necronomicon's secrets. As punishment for his betrayal of their secrets, Alhazred was tortured. Then they blinded him and severed his tongue, and finally executed him. The entrance to the chamber warned against disturbing him. But Shrewbury proceeded in entering the chamber and opening the sarcophagus. Though only rugs, bones and dust remained of Alhazred, the sarcophagus also contained an incomplete personal copy of the Necronomicon, written in the Arabic alphabet. Then Shrewsbury used necromancy to recall Alhazred's spirit and ordered it to draw a map of the world as he knew it. After obtaining the map, which revealed the location of [[R'lyeh]] and other secret places, Shrewsbury finally let Alhazred return to his eternal rest.

Original Wiki source: [http://en.wikipedia.org/ Wikipedia]